Hi Everybody

     After leaving work in Gaithersburg I headed up to Howard County and arrived at the Red-headed Woodpecker location shortly before 6 PM. I parked on Florence Road and walked the road in each direction for 15 - 20 minutes before finally hearing one call in the wooded area adjacent to the small cow pasture. I eventually heard a second one and only briefly saw one when it flew across the road into another wooded area. They were both calling periodically from time to time. I left the location at about 6:45. On Florence Road SE of the intersection of Rt (94 I heard several Grasshopper Sparrows in one of the fields. I decided to take Jennings Chapel Road and then turned right on Hipsley Mill Road. I pulled over on the Howard County side of the Patuxent River (which serve as the boundary with Montgomery County). 

I spent the next 45 minutes here and it was quite birdy. Almost immediately I heard Ovenbirds calling and then some loud chipping was tracked down and there were 2 juvenile Ovenbirds facing each other and trying to outdo one another vocally. At least 3-4 Wood Thrushes were singing, other calling/singing birds were Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers, Downy, Hairy and Pileated Woodpeckers, Acadian Flycatchers, Common Yellowthroat and Scarlet Tanager. Most of these species were evident on both sides of the bridge except for the Woodpeckers which were all in Howard County.

     As I headed back to the car at about 7:30 PM I heard a distant "Veeeerrrr". After a moment I heard another one call, and in 3-4 minutes they came alot closer to the road and were now singing. For the next 15 minutes I enjoyed the woodland symphony of the Wood Thrushes and Veeries singing repeatedly. It was a nice way to start the weekend. The Red-headed Woodpecker and the Veery were both new Howard County birds for me. This will probably be the extent of my weekend birding as we have a wedding to go to tomorrow and a family getotgether on Sunday.

    Good luck to all those that chase Stan's Roseate Terns; wish I could join you. Many thanks for both the original post and the ensuing followups on the Red-headed Woodpecker.

    Jim Green
    Gaithersburg,MD

 WORK IN MODERATION, BIRD IN EXCESS!!!